Latest news with #JanetBrown
CBC
19-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
We're on a mission to understand Alberta. Take this quiz and put yourself on the map
Alberta. We're big. We're beautiful ... and complex! Our province is a great place to live, and if you've been here awhile, you know it's been changing. Our population is booming, we've gone through booms and busts. You might be new to Alberta, or a bunch of your neighbours are. The society is shifting, the economy is shifting, the politics are always shifting. So… what does it mean to be Albertan now? Right now. Today. What do we all have in common? Something? Nothing? What's our identity? What do we MEAN when we say we are Albertan? Well. We don't have the answers. But we're sure interested in asking the question. So…. CBC Calgary recently commissioned Janet Brown Opinion Research to do a poll. We asked 1,200 Albertans about their values, political positions and thoughts on Alberta. We reported on some of it here. Now we want to expand on what we heard. We want to hear from YOU. We're going to be at community events across Calgary talking with anyone and everyone. And if you don't see us, try this little questionnaire on your own. It's only eight questions. Then you can see where you are in relation to what our large survey found about Albertans. The results? Well, you may end up exactly where you thought you were, or, you could end up with a surprise. Anyway, it's fun to think about this stuff. If you want, you could do this with a class, or friends around a picnic table over a couple beers. What does it mean to be Albertan? Who are we? And because CBC is a broadcaster, we'd love to broadcast your thoughts. So, when you're finished the questionnaire, click on the video button below to share what you think, or just send an email to me, CBC producer Elise Stolte, at If you want to be sure not to miss the stories about what we learn, subscribe to Your Calgary Weekly. Step 1: Take the questionnaire Online questionnaire Paper version Feel free to print the paper version and use it with a group. Step 2: Reflection The answers in your quiz gave you a number on separatism (vertical axis) and political values (horizontal axis). Find where you are on the Alberta values graph below and read descriptions of each segment of Albertans. Then take some time to think through these questions: What does it mean to you to be Albertan? Or a Canadian? When it comes to being Albertan, what strength do you think being from this place gives you? What's one thing you'd like to change about what the rest of Canada thinks about Albertans and our story? If you moved here from somewhere else, at what moment did you realize you are an Albertan? Looking at that graph, if you had to give "Albertans like you" a cheeky group name, what would you say? Step 3: Tell us what you think On a phone or computer, click the video icon, listen to the prompt and record your key takeaway. There's no download required. And you can tell us in the app if your video response is just for our ears, or if we can share it. We'll give it a listen and get in touch. Understanding Alberta — a bit of a data dive Alberta is home to people with views from across the political spectrum, and there are groups of people who tend to answer these questions in a similar way. The data and statistical analysis below is based on the survey we mentioned run by pollster Janet Brown this spring. It might describe you; it might not — which could be just as interesting! And of course, any survey only captures a snapshot at a point in time. Find the survey details at the very bottom of this page, and scroll down to find out what else this survey is suggesting about the different segments. Non-separatist left This progressive-leaning core is almost uniformly against the idea of separatism. You can find more of them in Calgary (43%) than in Edmonton (39%) or the rest of the province (19%). Here are a few other stats to describe some particulars about this cluster: Non-separatist centre This group falls in the centre politically, and therefore tends to play an outsized role in determining the result of any election. You'll find a lot of them in Edmonton (40%). Even more than in Calgary (33%) or in the rest of the province (26%). Where they fall on a political scale: avg 5.2/10 Feel most attached to Canada, or equally attached to Canada and Alberta (44% CAN; 47% Equal) Provincial voting intention: NDP 53% Tend to disapprove of recent effort to reset Alta./Ottawa relations: 59% Would NOT vote to separate: 99% University educated: 47% Very or somewhat religious: 54% Likely to be women: 59% Split on if it's easy/difficult to meet monthly expenses: 50/50% Stressed about the state of Canada-U.S. relations: 75% Non-separatist right This group is right of centre on the political spectrum, but they are opposed to the idea of separating from Canada. Here are a few ways to describe them. Soft separatists It appears Alberta has virtually no left-leaning separatists. But there's a separatist cluster in the centre. They tend to like Premier Danielle Smith's efforts to get a new relationship with Ottawa and be a little less sure they would actually cast a vote to leave the country. Average political score is still right of centre: avg 6.8/10 Feel most attached to Alberta: 56% Provincial voting intention: UCP 83% Approve of recent efforts to reset Alta./Ottawa relationship: 85% Say they would vote to separate: 55% Many say it's difficult to meet monthly expenses: 64% About half say they are stressed about Canada-U.S. relations: 52% Many self-identify as working class: 51% University educated: 33% Likely to be men: 54% Very or somewhat religious: 62% Committed separatists This cluster describes the Albertans who are most committed to separatism. They tend to be farthest to the right on a political spectrum but it's a myth that they all live in rural areas. Actually, 39 per cent of them are in Calgary, 25 per cent in Edmonton and 26 per cent in other parts of the province. Here's what else the survey tells us. Tend to be solidly right: avg 7.7/10 Primarily identify as Albertan: 89% Provincial voting intention: UCP 96% The vast majority approve of Premier Danielle Smith's efforts to reset the Alta/Ottawa relationship: 95% Most would vote to separate: 89% Many say it's difficult to meet monthly expenses: 60% Many say they're not stressed about Canada-U.S. relations: 68% More likely to be men: 62% Have a university education: 29% Very or somewhat religious: 72% Survey details The CBC News random survey of 1,200 Albertans was conducted using a hybrid method between May 7 to 21, 2025, by Edmonton-based Trend Research under the direction of Janet Brown Opinion Research. The sample is representative of regional, age and gender factors. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For subsets, the margin of error is larger. The survey used a hybrid methodology that involved contacting survey respondents by telephone and giving them the option of completing the survey at that time, at another more convenient time, or receiving an email link and completing the survey online. Trend Research contacted people using a random list of numbers, consisting of 40 per cent landlines and 60 per cent cellphone numbers. Telephone numbers were dialed up to five times at five different times of day before another telephone number was added to the sample. The response rate among valid numbers (i.e. residential and personal) was 12.8 per cent.
Global News
20-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
United Conservative Party releases CPP survey results 21 months late
It's taken nearly two years for the province to release results from a survey that asked Albertans if they wanted an Alberta Pension Plan (APP). The survey showed 63 per cent of respondents were opposed to an APP, while only 10 per cent were in support. More recent polling from Leger in February found 55 per cent of Albertan's opposed an Alberta Pension Plan. A May 2025 poll from Janet Brown found 55 per cent of Albertans were in support of the APP if there were more details. In May, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said, 'I am seeing the results you are, I am not seeing that there is an appetite to put it to the people at the moment.' Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, says the Janet Brown poll, commissioned by the government of Alberta, has interesting results with the number of people waiting for more information. Story continues below advertisement He adds people wanted answers to questions. 'Like, what is the amount that Alberta Pension Plan would start with? What would be the contribution rates? What would be the benefit rates? What would be the mobility between provinces? All of those sorts of questions haven't been answered,' said Bratt. 1:56 Alberta finance minister says he has not 'flip-flopped' on proposed pension change Bratt says the survey was not fair because it asked questions that assumed the respondent wanted an Alberta Pension Plan. 'The question itself was, would you want to leave the CPP if you had the exact same program. In the absence of any details, how do you know that that's the exact same program,' said Bratt. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He adds the survey results are no longer accurate but the delay of the release of the results shows a lack of transparency from the provincial government. 'The bigger story is how and why the government of Alberta refused to hand over public survey data that they encouraged Albertans to fill out. They went to extreme measures to block it, because they realized it was going to embarrass them. They believed that this was a neutral process to just explore the idea of leaving the Canadian pension plan, but it wasn't,' said Bratt. Story continues below advertisement The province says they will continue to talk with Albertans on this topic and says nothing will change unless Albertans approve a new pension plan in a referendum. Bratt says by itself, majority of Albertans are against the province pulling out of CPP and creating the APP. He adds that he expects to see several referendum questions about Alberta's independence. Those might include questions on the APP, an Alberta police force, and Alberta independence. 'I think what the government is hoping for is maybe people might not want to separate, but they still want to send a message to Ottawa,' said Bratt.
Calgary Herald
18-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Alberta releases its pension survey results, 63% opposed to leaving CPP
After a more than 21-month wait, the Alberta government has released to Postmedia the results of its 2023 provincial pension plan engagement survey, which show nearly two-thirds of respondents were opposed to leaving the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Article content Postmedia first filed a request for responses from the survey a week after it opened in September of 2023, and followed up with multiple further requests in the following months, all of which produced either no records or records that were entirely redacted. Article content Article content Article content Last December, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner opened reviews into the government's response to three requests: one seeking a summary of the survey results, a second looking for copies of the open-answer questions in the survey, and a third for completed copies of the pension workbook that was distributed in late 2023. Article content Article content According to that summary, 63 per cent of respondents were opposed to an Alberta pension plan (APP), 10 per cent were in favour of an APP, and 12 per cent were undecided or unsure. Article content The remaining 15 per cent were other forms of responses, including questions about implementation, suggestions for other alternatives, non-answers, and incomplete responses. Article content Article content More than 94,000 Albertans completed the survey between its opening on Sept. 21, 2023, and its conclusion on Dec. 10, 2023. Article content Article content The government issued a statement to Postmedia following the release of the results. Article content 'While recent surveys on an APP show public opinion may be shifting, we will continue to engage with Albertans on this topic through the Alberta Next panel. The Alberta Pension Protection Act guarantees we won't replace the CPP with an Alberta Pension Plan unless Albertans approve it in a referendum.' Article content Polls from Leger in August and again last February both showed around 23 per cent support for leaving the CPP. Article content A government-commissioned survey by respected pollster Janet Brown found that 55 per cent of those who had made up their minds on the issue were in favour of a provincial pension plan if it 'guaranteed all Alberta seniors the same or better benefits' than the existing federal plan.
National Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Poll finds that Alberta-Ottawa tensions are boosting Smith's popularity
OTTAWA — Separatist winds are lifting the political sails of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, according to a study from an Alberta pollsters. Article content Article content The provincewide poll, taken this month by Janet Brown, found that Smith's popularity has ticked upward from the same time last year, giving her a double-digit edge over rival Naheed Nenshi. Article content Brown told the National Post that the perception that Smith is better at dealing with Ottawa is part of what's driving her favourables. Article content Article content 'Right now… the thing that we see that's most strongly correlated with (Smith's) support numbers, is the relationship with Ottawa,' said Brown. Article content Brown noted that Smith is doing especially well with the 'middle third' of Albertans who still identify strongly as Canadians, but still think that the province is being treated unfairly by Ottawa. Article content 'They don't necessarily want to separate, but they don't want the status quo either… and the NDP hasn't really been speaking to this group,' said Brown. Article content Brown noted that, on the question of identity, Albertans were split neatly into thirds, with 32 per cent saying they felt most attached to Alberta, 34 per cent saying they felt more attached to Canada, and 33 per cent saying they were attached to both equally. Article content Smith spoke directly to this third, ambivalent group in a livestreamed address to Albertans earlier this month. Article content 'And then there are hundreds of thousands of Albertans that probably feel a lot like I do — that are deeply frustrated with the way our province has been mistreated (but) still believe there is a viable path (for Alberta) to succeed and prosper within a united Canada,' Smith told viewers. Article content Nenshi, by contrast, has staked out a hardline position as a staunch federalist and defender of Canadian identity, accusing Smith of playing 'stupid separatist games ' and calling Alberta separatism an 'extremist fringe agenda.' Article content Nenshi's Alberta NDP has also launched the website to mobilize opposition to the premier. Article content Brown added that Albertans are currently giving Prime Minister Mark Carney 'the benefit of the doubt' and holding out to see if he and Smith are able to strike a deal on national unity. Article content The survey showed Smith's United Conservative Party leading across all age demographic and on-track to win a commanding 17-seat majority in the next provincial election. Article content The poll was taken between May 7 and 21, using a random sample of 1,200 Albertans contacted by phone (40 per cent landline, 60 per cent cell phone), carrying a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Article content
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Bell: In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith kicks Nenshi NDP butt
What do we have here? Article content Article content CBC News has a poll by the noted pollster Janet Brown and it hits the street with a bang. Article content Well, they will be in full-blown denial or they will believe many Albertans are just too stupid to understand what's good for them. Article content Back in the real world, if there was an election now, Smith and the UCP would win the support of most Albertans. Article content Article content Projected seats in the Alberta legislature? Article content Article content Smith's UCP 61 seats. Naheed Nenshi's NDP 26 seats. Article content Take note. Brown, the pollster, is known for being real solid on these kind of projections. Article content Now the NDP and UCP are virtually neck and neck in the provincial capital. Oh my. Article content In Calgary, the NDP are also down and some NDP seats in Calgary would almost certainly fall to Smith and the UCP. Article content Younger voters and not so young voters are more UCP than NDP. Article content Many Albertans also appear to like Smith standing up for Alberta and taking the fight to Ottawa over Liberal anti-oil policies. Article content It is Nenshi who slams Smith saying the premier likes to pick fights. Article content Looks like this fight with Ottawa is considered a righteous one. Article content Article content Aside from this latest nosecount, this scribbler also notices some of the people who weren't sure about Smith a couple years back, after hearing from the opposition about how dangerous she would be in power, are now more comfortable with the premier. Article content The sky has not fallen. Article content They were warned turning the NDP into the Nenshi Democratic Party might not work.
